Petralona Winery – Earinos 2020

If you're looking for a completely different take on Sauvignon Blanc, you might want to try this spontaneously fermented and unfiltered wine from a small organic estate in the PGI Chalkidiki. The nearly yellow colour already hints that this Sauvignon Blanc is more something for orange wine lovers. If all you want from this grape is to be pampered by uncomplicated exotic fruits, you're in the wrong place. The nose shows very pronounced lactic notes – yoghurt, goat cheese – along with honey and sweet fruits like overripe plums, apricots and figs, aromas you'd normally associate with dessert wines. It's not nutty yet, but straw, peat and quince emerge on the finish. Right at the moment of swallowing, blackcurrant appears. Beyond that, lychee and watermelon are also perceptible on the fruit side. The tannins are quite assertive but not over the top. A wine that can hold its own with heartier food and would pair beautifully with, say, a well-braised hare. An excellent 89 points. Available for around €11.50.